


lights will guide you (home)

by seekrest



Series: IronDad Bingo [9]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Peter Parker’s overwhelming guilt complex™️, Protective Peter Parker, Protective Tony Stark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:02:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23067436
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seekrest/pseuds/seekrest
Summary: The lightning is bright, almost blinding across his face. Peter tenses, realizing a half-second too late that it’s not lightning in front of them.The crack of thunder blasts through the sky once more, barely drowned out by the immediate and blaring sound of a car horn.Before Peter can even think, he acts on instinct - sending a hand out to protect Michelle as he braces for impact.—IronDad Bingo: Car Crash
Relationships: Michelle Jones/Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Series: IronDad Bingo [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1652680
Comments: 14
Kudos: 291





	lights will guide you (home)

“Peter, if you don’t turn that song down, I’m going to vomit in your aunt’s car.” Peter smirks, keeping his eyes on Michelle as he turns the volume up, trying to drown out the rain pouring outside. 

“Eyes on the road, idiot.” She rolls her eyes as Peter laughs, putting his hands back on the wheel. 

“I know, I know. Ten and two right?”

“I think it’s nine and three now. Didn’t you just take driver’s ed?” Peter shrugs before bringing his eyes back to the road.

The rain is steadily pouring, Peter keeping his hands steady. Michelle turns the volume down. 

“Mr. Stark let me drive his Audi a couple of times, I think he’s a better teacher than some underpaid quack at the DMV.” He says with confidence, catching her eye roll out when he glances over to her. 

“First, don’t say quack like that again. Your level of coolness is already below sea level.

“Quack.” Michelle gives him a look, Peter seeing the teasing in her eyes as she continues, “Second, did Stark actually let you _drive_ an Audi or did you just like, sit in it and take pictures?” 

Peter puts a hand up of faux shock, mouth open. “MJ, I’d _never_ exaggerate.”

A beat.

”We took pictures _outside_ the car too.”

“Don’t be cute with me, Parker.” Michelle says before pointing towards the dashboard. “And what’d I tell you, hands on the wheel. I’m trying to live to see eighteen.”

“Lotto tickets?” He asks, winking at her. 

“Clearly.” She smiles, grabbing some candy out of her backpack. “And the R-rated documentaries that make Ned squeamish.” 

Peter smiles back, waving a hand out for her to give him one. “Ned’s really gonna be jealous I’m taking you out to the cabin without him.” 

“Yeah, well considering he’s been at this FOS thing longer than I have, I think he can deal with it.” Michelle says as she takes a bite out the candy. 

“FOS?” Peter mumbles, stuffing a wad Swedish Fish in his mouth. 

“Friend of Spider-Man.” She says as if that makes perfect sense, shrugging again, “I don’t know, some nickname he came up with for himself.” Michelle pops a candy into her mouth, leaning back into the seat.

The rain is steady, a low hum in the background. 

Peter reaches his hand towards the candy once more, swallowing the candy in his mouth before saying, “Well technically I think you’d be a GFOS.” 

Michelle turns, confused as Peter smiles.

“ _Girlfriend_ of Spider-Man.” 

Michelle smirks, swatting his hand away from the candy. 

“Hey!” She puts a finger to his face. 

“What’d I tell you? Hands on the wheel, eyes on the road Parker.” 

Peter rolls his eyes, obliging as he glances to the road up ahead. 

He knew the way to the Stark’s cabin like the back of his hand, he and May taking the trip up every other weekend. Tony had offered for Happy to drive them up from the city, but Peter had been insistent. 

_What was the point of a license if you never used it?_

But the rain had started to come down heavily, Peter almost regretting not taking Tony up on his offer. He goes to grab his phone when Michelle sighs, grabbing it for him. 

“I shit you not Parker, if you don’t keep your hands---”

“I got it, MJ. I got it. Just… call Mr. Stark for me.” 

Michelle unlocks his phone, scrolling down to the contact list until she finds it. 

“Why is his name Tony Stank?” Peter laughs, shaking his head.

“Inside joke. I don’t know, Colonel Rhodes told me to do it, said it’d irritate the hell out of him.” Michelle taps his information to send a call out, putting it on speakerphone. 

It rings once, twice - before picking up.

“Hey kid, where you at?” 

“Hey Mr. Stark! MJ and I are like ten minutes out but the rain’s really coming down.” As if on cue, a loud roll of thunder booms through the sky.

“Yeah, it’s pouring over here too. Little miss isn’t too pleased.” 

“You told her it’s just Uncle Thor messing around right?” Peter asks as Tony laughs through the speaker.

“Yeah kid, she told me what you said. You gotta stop filling her head with nonsense. Thor being the best Avenger? Come on, Pete. Let an old man feel needed for once.” 

Peter shrugs, knowing Tony can’t see it. Michelle adjusts her grip on the phone to bring it closer to him. 

“What can I say, Mr. Stark? Thor is literally a god.” 

Tony laughs again, Peter smiling as he glances towards Michelle. 

There’s a flash of lightning, the rain is pouring down. 

The hair on the back of his neck sticks up. 

The lightning is bright, almost blinding across his face. Peter tenses, realizing a half-second too late that it’s not lightning in front of him. 

He hears Michelle’s gasp, his immediate thought to send a hand out to save her. The crack of thunder blasts through the sky once more, barely drowned out by the immediate and blaring sound of a car horn.

Before Peter can even think, he acts on instinct. 

He hears Michelle scream, hears Tony through the phone, the car horn still blaring in his ears. 

Peter - inexperienced, panicked, not thinking clearly - does the one thing you’re never supposed to do. 

He hits the brakes and tries to swerve out of the way. 

The glass cracks, the windows shattering around them as the car rolls, tumbling over and over. Michelle’s stopped screaming - Peter has half a second to consider that before the car slides.

It skids for a few seconds, Peter’s hands have crushed the wheel by this point, shaking at the broken pieces in front of him. They’re upside down, Michelle’s gasps the only sound Peter can hold on to.

“MJ, are you---”

“I’m okay. I’m… okay, Pete.” 

Peter almost feels himself relax, before there’s another crack of lightning.

He tenses. 

Skidding of tires, the sound of another panicked driver. He sees headlights, sends a hand out to Michelle. 

And braces for impact. 

* * *

Tony’s flying through the sky, begging FRIDAY to get him there faster. 

“Gun it, FRI.” The rain is pouring down, Tony willing the suit to get there as quickly as it could. 

Just a minute ago, he’d been on the phone with the kid, laughing and joking like they didn’t have a care in the world. 

The next minute Tony had heard screams. 

He’d leapt off the couch, causing Morgan to whimper. 

“Daddy?” 

“Pepper, it’s Pete.” She nodded, rushing to Morgan’s side as Tony ran out to their garage, activating the suit and flying off into the storm. 

FRIDAY had immediately brought up the coordinates, registering from the panic in Tony’s voice and the thundering beat of his heart that it related to Peter. 

“Come on Pete, where you at? Where you at?” Tony mutters to himself, eyes scanning. The kid couldn't have been far, ten minutes he’d said. 

“Got him boss.” 

Tony turns, sees the wreckage. He swallows down the wave of panic and flies down. 

He sees the group of people huddling around the mangled car, the one Tony immediately recognizes as May’s. His stomach drops, his throat suddenly dry. One guy turns, eyes widening as he takes him in. 

“Iron Man?”

“FRIDAY? Call for medical.” Tony hurriedly says. 

The panic in his voice is unmistakable, Tony immediately leaning down as FRIDAY scans. 

There’s another car, some people crowded around it though the damage doesn’t seem as severe.

Tony’s focused only on the one. 

A guy holding a bloody shirt to his to head looks terrified when he sees Tony, putting a hand out as he says, “I didn’t see them! I promise, I didn’t see. I tried to swerve but--” 

“Talk to me, FRI.” Tony ignores the man, bracing himself as he looks down into the car, holding his breath. 

He’s at the passenger side, seeing Michelle dazed and clearly hurt, but alive. She blinks a few times, the blood from a gash on the side of her face bright red. 

“Michelle is suffering from a concussion, two cracked ribs and what appears to be a break in her right leg.” The knowledge that she’s hurt rolls around in his gut, only for Tony to glance to the driver’s side and for the sinking feeling in his stomach to grow. 

Peter’s eyes are closed, blood pouring down his face, his body. He’s limp in the driver’s seat, a hand extended and twisted in a way that makes Tony’s stomach recoil. 

“Peter has fourteen rib fissures, both of his kneecaps have shattered, and there appears to be internal bleeding in the left lower quadrant of his body.”

“Is he…” Tony asks, feeling the world around him slow down while he waits for FRIDAY’s response.

“I detect a heartbeat, boss. However, Peter is in critical condition and requires immediate medical attention.” 

“Shit.” Tony whispers, bringing his head up, trying and failing to stop the panic. “Where the hell is medical?”

The crowd around him stares back at him, mistaking his question to FRIDAY as a question to them.

“We--we called an ambulance. I don’t, I don’t think we’re supposed to move them.” A woman offers, looking as sick to her stomach as Tony feels. 

Tony’s breath hitches, turning back to the car and leaning down. Michelle lazily blinks at him, her eyes fluttering.

“Hey, hey, hey Jones you with me? You’re going to be alright okay? You’re going to be alright.” Tony frantically glances to Peter, the panic swelling at Peter’s limp and quiet form. 

Peter had just been laughing on the phone with him, giving sarcastic comments and probably annoying the hell out of Michelle. 

But now Peter wasn’t moving, his face bruised and bloody with blood staining all over his clothes.

Peter needed help and he needed help fast - but Tony couldn’t risk getting the two of them out of the car without potentially hurting the two of them further. 

Tony brings his attention back to Michelle, grounding himself with trying to keep her awake. 

“Eyes up, Jones. You with me? You alright?” She doesn’t answer, seemingly drifting out of consciousness. 

“No, no. no come on Jones. Come on, I gotta keep one of you awake.” Tony’s throat is closing, the edges of his vision swimming in darkness as he panics. 

As Michelle’s eyes loll into the back of her head, Peter just as still and unmoving as he’d been since Tony arrives, he feels as if someone is pressing down on his chest - the pressure of it causing him to wheeze, trying and failing to choke down air. 

Tony hears the sirens in the background, the frantic yells of the crowd around him as they try to grab its attention- but all he can focus on is what’s in front of him, of who is in front of him.

Michelle - bleeding, injured, and knocked out. 

And Peter - who still hasn’t moved, whose skin now looks ghostly pale, another wave of panic at the sight as a shiver runs down Tony’s spine.

“FRIDAY?” Tony’s voice wavers, “Talk to me, what’s going on?”

“Peter’s heart is in distress, boss. He needs immediate medical attention.” 

Tony braces himself against the car, hearing the sirens get louder and louder. 

As the paramedics rush forward, Tony’s own medical team no doubt already on their way, he feels immobilized - useless.

All Tony had wanted was to have them over for a weekend, get to hang out with the kid and his girlfriend for a few days. 

But now here he was, the rain pouring down, two unconscious and bleeding kids in front of him.

Tony had saved the universe.

And yet in this moment, he wondered if he’d been a minute too late to save them. 

* * *

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Peter groans, his body stiff and aching from the uncomfortable position he was in. He blinks an eye open, taking in his surroundings. 

The sunlight is streaming in, softly illuminating the room. Peter slowly sits up, working the crick in his neck as he blinks a few times. He glances over to the armchair and smiles. 

Michelle is there, snoring - completely out of it with a book in hand. A blanket’s been placed over her, looking more relaxed and unguarded than she ever was when she was awake. 

Peter smiles, noticing for the first time the blanket that’s been placed on him. He goes to move off the couch when Tony walks in.

“Hey kid, you’re up.” 

“Morning, Mr. Stark.” Peter yawns, Tony nodding his head towards where Michelle was sleeping. 

“Jones still out of it huh?” He asks, Peter smiles, glancing back over to her. 

“Yeah, I guess we fell asleep during the movie.” Peter looks back to Michelle, frowning. 

“Wait, where’s Morgan?” Tony smiles, motioning for Peter to join him in the kitchen.

“Put her to bed, Pete. You were passed out, Jones barely even flinched when Pepper picked Morgan up.”

Tony shakes his head, grabbing a coffee cup. “You know, I think Mo likes her more than you.” 

“You think?” Peter scoffs, leaning on the breakfast counter. “Do you know Morgan calls me now? But not to talk to me, no. Only to see if she can talk to MJ”

He smiles, tapping his fingers gently against the counter. “Not that I mind. I’m glad they get along.”

“I know you don’t kid.” Tony motions towards Michelle’s sleeping form before pouring some coffee into his mug. 

“She’s a good one, Pete. Don’t mess this up. If you hadn’t already been snoring like a lumberjack, I would’ve thought you two had some kind of shenanigans planned last night.” Tony puts two fingers up to his eyes, motioning with them as if he’s watching Peter. 

“Don’t think I don’t know what a teenager thinks of when they hear ‘cabin getaway’. I’m on to you, Parker.”

Peter laughs, his ears reddening. “Come on, Mr. Stark. We’ve been here, what, three times by now? We always keep it PG-13 for you guys.” 

“And it better stay--- hold up.” Tony pauses, coffee cup in hand, “You _keep_ it PG-13 for us? As in it’s _not_ that elsewhere?”

Peter just laughs, dismissing Tony’s questioning as he gets up and goes for the fridge. 

“I think that’s a personal question, Mr. Stark.”

“Personal, my ass. You got something to tell me, Pete?” Peter just grins as Tony looks at him up and down, before he shakes his head, rolling his eyes. 

“Alright we’re putting a pin in this for now, only--” Tony puts the coffee cup out, gesturing to Peter, “Because I got a surprise for you.” 

Peter perks up, following Tony as they walk out to the back door. 

Peter’s confused for a second as he sees the car, an Audi that looks strikingly similar to Tony’s.

“The surprise… is your car?”

“Nope. The surprise is that this is _your_ car.” Peter gapes, turning to Tony as he extends the keys out to Peter.

“Mr. Stark, I---”

“You’re welcome, kid. Enjoy.” Tony says as he drops the keys in Peter’s hand.

Peter shakes his head in disbelief, a sharp laugh leaving him. He turns to the car, walking towards the driver’s side as Tony continues. 

“It’s got access to Stark satellites for radio, Wi-Fi, direct line to Karen, and the best part,” Tony comes up to the passenger side, tapping the hood. “Vibranium shielding encased all around it.” 

Peter’s smile falls, a rush of shame falling over him. 

It’d been six months since the accident, since the first time he’d tried to bring Michelle up to visit.

The recovery had been brutal, in more ways than one. 

Peter healed quickly, even if he had woke up disoriented in the Compound’s medical room a few days later. 

But it’d taken Michelle almost a month to recover from her injuries, another month before she started to feel like normal again. 

Physically, Peter was fine. But emotionally, he was struggling. 

The accident still haunted him, the thought that his own carelessness almost caused him to lose her. She had warned him, Michelle kept pushing for him focus on the road and he’d ignored it - the sharp feeling of guilt at what could’ve happened if things had gone wrong. 

No one had died, he could at least be thankful for that. 

But Michelle almost had. And it would’ve been Peter’s fault. 

Tony immediately recognizes the shift in Peter’s demeanor, tapping the hood once more to bring Peter out of his thoughts.”

“Kid, it’s not your fault.” 

“If I had just been paying more attention---” Peter begins only for Tony to cut him off. 

“It was an accident, Pete.” 

“She could’ve died, Mr. Stark.” Peter interjects, holding back the tears that threatened to form.

“So could’ve you, kid.” Tony takes a deep breath, Peter recognizing the shakiness of the exhale. 

“But you didn’t. Michelle didn’t.” Tony comes towards the front of the car, Peter meeting him.

“I can’t take this car, Mr. Stark. I can’t, I can’t risk her getting hurt again. I’m not, I can’t—” 

Tony immediately envelops Peter into a hug, Peter leaning into the embrace, gripping Tony tightly. Peter lets the beating of Tony’s heart calm him as he threads a hand through the back of Peter’s hair.

“You won’t, kid. You’re going to be okay. It was an accident, Pete. Besides, Shuri shipped this out special, just for you.” Peter laughs into Tony’s chest, tightening his grip.

“Remind me to tell MJ that Princess Shuri made it. She’ll freak.” He murmurs, Tony just holding him tighter. 

They remain in a comfortable silence, Peter closing his eyes in Tony’s embrace. 

He’s still not sure if he can handle driving again, not anytime soon. But Tony’s presence calms him, the thought and care that clearly went into the gift warming Peter’s insides. 

“Thanks, Mr. Stark.” His voice is low but Tony seems to hear it anyway, nudging him as he breaks out of the hug and says, “Don’t worry about it, kid.” 

Peter stares into Tony’s eyes, still feeling the guilt weighing on him. 

“I just want to keep her safe, Mr. Stark.” 

“I think she can take care of herself.” Tony smiles, the warmth in his eyes evident. “But don’t worry, kid. You will.”

He brings Peter in for another hug, tight and fierce. 

Tony doesn’t say it, but Peter understands the meaning all the same. 

_Don’t worry, kid. I got you._

_I’ll keep you safe too._

**Author's Note:**

> If this looks familiar, it’s cause it is! Reposting my IronDad bingos for anyone who wants to bookmark separately.
> 
> But with that - this is the last of the reposts! I plan on redoing the other two so any other stories in this series will be brand new. 
> 
> :)


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